Do adult situations belong in video games?

What is your opinion? Keep it clean please, because I am sure Blizzard will watch this one closely if they don't just shut it down.

There have been a few titles that tried to use them to make money or just to have fun with the subject. Some have done relatively well and others not so well. The Leisure Suit Larry series made quite a bit of money for Sierra. But titles like Rianna Rouge and Bonetown haven't done so well. This could be a quality thing or a getting the word out thing.

I have pretty much mentioned every title from the US. There are European titles as well. Most aren't brought to the US as we are considered puritanical to Europe. Japan has more titles than the rest of the world combined.

Do you think they belong in mainstream games? The games mentioned are considered fringe area games. Most major publishers won't touch them. Sony won't let them be published for the Playstation.

Should you be able to in an MMO have these situations with other consenting adults? If a game included them as a small part of a much larger picture, will the game only be remembered for the adult situations? If there is a large number of titles, will the average geek not seek companionship because he has his needs satisfied at the computer? Will this harm the gene pool or not?

I say any type of situation belongs in a game. RPG's in general it can make a lot of sense.

Relationships are a big part of a person, so they are a big part of an rpg. Keeping adult situations out of games where relationships should be importent seems a bit silly and can come off an unrealistic because of that.

If a game included them as a small part of a much larger picture, will the game only be remembered for the adult situations?

This line in particular makes me think of visual novels, made primarily in Japan. Most of the general public think of those as just !@#$%^ and -*!@ and such, even though visual novels typically have minor scenes or no scenes at all. The general public typically puts those situations out and ignores everything else.

I think that if there are people willing to make these games and there are people willing to buy them. Then why not?

I don't see why it should matter to other people what kind of games I would choose to play. I think any adult should be able to buy whatever they so desire. I especially think that this kind of material should not be controlled by the government or whatnot. Anyway, I don't think other people should stick their noses in business that is not theirs.

Although I don't care what other people do I feel that adult situations belong in real life not in a pixel form. No offense but it's creepy just thinking about it.

So make the hacking, shooting, and flesh eating as realistic as possble. But sex? Ewww icky poo!!

Competing against other players in arenas or w/e is the same as playing basketball, just different games. But having a happy ending or even simply being attracted to a digital character sounds pretty pathetic (again no offense) and I'm not even talking about mmos...

Again to each their own. Just that in my experience it's more emotionally and physically satisfying being with another person.

I think as long as the games in question have the proper rating I think they're fine.

It's one thing to suggest it as part of the story (the way Lufia II did it), which I think is perfectly fine. The...*ahem* more detailed you get, the more weary you have to be of how it is presented as well as the target audience.

I think it's a game, and people need to get over being sensitive about what other people do (obviously murder and abuse isn't being taken into account here).

If you don't like it, then don't play it. Otherwise, let everything flow.

A thousand times this.

If a game included them as a small part of a much larger picture, will the game only be remembered for the adult situations?

This line in particular makes me think of visual novels, made primarily in Japan. Most of the general public think of those as just !@#$%^ and -*!@ and such, even though visual novels typically have minor scenes or no scenes at all. The general public typically puts those situations out and ignores everything else.

You have to keep in mind that what got those games started was "just !@#$%^ and -*!@ and such". They've come a long way since those days, including spawning the visual novels you are most likely referring to (most of which come out for consoles and handhelds like PSP).

...erm, or so I've heard. >.>

So make the hacking, shooting, and flesh eating as realistic as possble. But sex? Ewww icky poo!!

Welcome to America, where killing other grown-ups is totally OK in fiction form (books, TV, movies, games, etc.), but a naked boobs? OMG WORLD IS ENDING! SATAN IS TRYING TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD! OMG!

Competing against other players in arenas or w/e is the same as playing basketball, just different games. But having a happy ending or even simply being attracted to a digital character sounds pretty pathetic (again no offense) and I'm not even talking about mmos...

Again to each their own. Just that in my experience it's more emotionally and physically satisfying being with another person.

The thing with your comment is that you're applying a blanket statement. Not everyone who plays those games has a weird attraction to the characters. I--We--They're not all like that weird loser that married one of the characters from Love+.

Joking aside, something a lot of people miss about games is that they epitomize the escapist nature of entertainment. You're not escaping anything when you play sports because you're still you. You could play hockey and try to play as well as Wayne Gretzky, but the game as laid out doesn't mean you are or become like him at any point.

In a way, Call of Duty, Farmville and Comic Party all have the same level of escapism, just with different aims. CoD has you killing people in PvE mode or fellow players in PvP mode, Farmville gives you stuff to look after and tend to so that you can play pretend farmer, and ComiPa has you lead an up and coming comic artist trying to get together with one of several girls. The three games allow us to escape our lives for a little bit, just in different ways. So berating one is no different than berating all three, IMO.

IDK. Sometimes it feels like games include things just so they can sell to people who want to fell mature/adult by playing something they perceive as a mature/"adult" game. I'd say there should be less of that in general. It also aims totally at straight guys. I can't remember the last time I saw a nice looking guy wearing little/nothing in a video game (unless some oblivion mods count). Before I came out to my cousin he showed me some game where you could bathe with some naked ladies with HUGE boobs ("how do they stand up?" sized). He was so damn excited to show me, and I had to pretend to be amused. I almost feel like some games kind of pat straight guys on the back and tell them "There there, it's ok, you can play this game where you're a studly hero and ladies love you" instead of smacking them in the face and telling them to get it together irl... you know, get fit, pay off debt, make oneself appealing, and get the real thing...

On the other hand, if a narrative is moving, deep, thought-provoking, and happens to warrant such things, then I don't see a problem at all. Most games don't take that approach though.

So make the hacking, shooting, and flesh eating as realistic as possble. But sex? Ewww icky poo!!

This.

Competing against other players in arenas or w/e is the same as playing basketball, just different games. But having a happy ending or even simply being attracted to a digital character sounds pretty pathetic (again no offense) and I'm not even talking about mmos...

Again to each their own. Just that in my experience it's more emotionally and physically satisfying being with another person.

Do you get off every time a book or movie has an "adult situation"? This almost sounds like a failed attempt to rebut the point being made though slander.

The main thing is for people to actually pay attention to the ratings on games. Far too many people seem to ignore those and then complain that something like Boarderlands 2 is inappropriate for their 11 year old to play.

They don't pay attention, they don't even try to watch what their kids are doing and what they are playing.

if it is done tastefully or at least fits into the game than I say why not. I have no issue with being able to get Hookers in GTA games.. your character is a criminal so soliciting sex is not exactly going low for him as such hookers and blow is fitting to the game.

if you really want to set off the puritanical types... a male Hawk can romance Anders in Dragon Age 2... Or that good looking elf fellow.

Thats what the rating system is for. If you are buying adult rated games for your underage children thats not the games makers fault.

Sadly that is not enough for parents groups. We have had lawmakers here in the US try and get laws passed that require stores to card people buying games rated M(video game equal in the US to a movie rated R). Thing is that does not stop parents from buying the game and many do. Though how some parents bought a game called "Grand Theft Auto 3" for their kids and then got pissed about the violence I have no clue... One would think that a game named after a felony would have certain kinds of content in it.

*Movie theaters do in fact card to get into R-Rated films, However its not the law. They just do it to keep the parents quiet and keep them from demanding that it be made into a law. Some retailers also have this policy for M rated games, Though I have never seen a clerk do it and when the line during the Christmas/Holiday rush is across the store I do no blame em for not carding.